The room contains a small bed with an elaborate mahogany headboard pushed up against the wall, a bedside table, one straight-backed chairs and a bureau. To the right of the bed is a meanly proportioned window layered by thick red velvet that hangs in generous folds. The sliding glass door is tightly shut with half of the curtain slid open, allowing the ray of early morning sun to enter. There isn’t anything interesting about Youngjae’s room. It looks ordinary and it feels ordinary. He doesn’t have posters of bands or football teams that he loves stuck on the walls. He doesn’t have notes messily laid on the bureau, he doesn’t have magazines hidden under the bed either. So, really, he’s just one boring guy.

Fiddling with the hem of his jacket, Youngjae glances up at the male standing across the room with his arms crossed on his chest and his stance, intimidating yet peculiar. There’s just something odd about the way he stands that makes him look like he’s different than the others. Reverting his eyes back to the floor, Youngjae wonders how long does he needs to wait before he can go down. The other male warned him ten minutes ago to not leave the room unless he wants to be greeted by a moody old man. Well, it’s been thirteen minutes and he has class in half an hour and if he stays here any longer, he might not make it. Brushing the bangs away from his eyes, Youngjae takes a deep breath and shuts his eyes momentarily before they flutter open.

“You can leave now.” Daehyun suddenly speaks before he disappears and the only thing that affirms Youngjae of the latter’s presence in the room seconds ago is the curtain flitting in the air gently. Without another word, Youngjae snatches his bag from the floor and quietly turns the knob before peeking through the gap. He sees the stairs and hears nothing. Without another thought, he quickly walks out of his room- not forgetting to switches the lights off –and descends down the stairs. The staircase creaks and groans in complaint as a pair of feet come thumping down and before Youngjae knows it, he’s already standing outside; at the doorstep. He looks behind him and sees the door shut before relief dawns upon him. Chorus of birds break through the silence in the neighbourhood. The sound of vehicles roaring and honking from afar is clear in his ears and the streets he’s walking along are etched in his mind and familiar in his eyes. All of these aren’t any different than before, yet Youngjae feels like his senses are on high alert and he can see all the needless details. From the cars parked on one side of the street to the small cracks in the pavement- ones that are easily unnoticed if you don’t squat down and inspect them.

Once he arrives at the university, he feels befuddled when he can’t spot Himchan anywhere by the usual spot. Concurrently, his phone chimes, alerting him to a received text. Digging his phone out of his pocket, the boy taps the screen awake and opens the text. He reads it silently, noting to himself to inform the lecturer of Himchan’s absence for today. The boy didn’t clarify the reason for his absence which honestly disappoints Youngjae considering the fact his friend always tells him everything. Well, almost everything.

Opening the door, he slips in to the room. Some of his classmates look over to him with a more or less intrigued expression and Youngjae wonders if it’s because Himchan isn’t with him. However, his question is answered when he sees Daehyun. Now then, it isn’t something to be surprised about that Daehyun is attending the class. What takes him aback, is that the latter is sitting beside Youngjae’ usual seat. Himchan wouldn’t be happy if he were to see this and images of Himchan scowling as he questions the other male’s intention floods Youngjae’s mind. Without a word, Youngjae heads for his seat as he ignores the glances from a group of girls nearby. His bag drops with an audible thump, and he buries his face into his hands; almost groaning out loud at the not so subtle whispers from the people around him.

A slight movement can be seen from the corner of his eyes and Youngjae gingerly turns, almost yelping in surprise when he realises just how close Daehyun is. “What are you doing?” He whispers- almost hissing. Daehyun looks at him for a few second before he reverts his eyes back to the front and leans back in his seat. His current expression is hard to discern so Youngjae has no bloody clue on why the male is doing this. Thankfully, the class begins soon after; the students rushing to their seats and Youngjae heaving a sigh out of relief. During this time, he realises how much he should be grateful to have Himchan as his friend. The taller male has always been there for him to chase away the mean and scary people..

At one point, he glances over to Daehyun due to the stillness of the other male which frankly, scares Youngjae a bit. He doesn’t even blink and his pale skin doesn’t help either with the fact that he looks like a soulless statue. The only thing that makes him look alive is the movement of strands of air and with his eyes locked on particularly nothing, it’s as if he’s listening to the whispers of the wind from outside. Since they’re in a small class instead of the auditorium, the gentle warmth from the inside emits a soft cinnamon-like scent and it reminds Youngjae of the time he and Himchan had a big feast of the pastries at the bakery. His body goes rigid as he remembers the story Himchan told him and curiosity sparks within him. He wonders if vampires are actually living among them and how many of them are left. He wonders if the story is true.

Subsequently the leave of the lecturer, the class echoes with growing murmurs after one of the student announces that the professor for the next class is not present thus, having the class cancelled. Taking into account that he no longer has any classes after this, he packs his things with the thought of visiting Himchan’s house. Just as he is about to walk out, a hand grasps his wrist; stopping him short. Tugged to the side, Youngjae frowns at the male in front of him yet keep his head low when the rest of the students by the door stares at them questioningly. They must be really confused of why Daehyun is concerning himself with Youngjae. “Where are you going?” Daehyun questions monotonously, his eyes staring dead straight into the former who unreluctantly squirms.

“Wh-“

“Daehyu-oh.”

In front of them stands a girl, with a hip jutted to one side, her right arm draped across her slender body, clasping the elbow opposite. Youngjae has never seen the girl before. Clearly she’s never been in any of his class, or Daehyun’s for that matter. “Am I bothering?” She asks, tilting her head to one side, her hazel eyes trained on Daehyun. The sudden tightness around Youngjae’s wrist has the boy hissing on the inside and he throws a quick glance at the girl before trying to pick the fingers off his wrist. The air is feeling heavy for unknown reasons, but whatever it is, Youngjae has no plans on getting involved. “Why don’t you let him go.” She suggests, locking eyes with Youngjae as she takes a step forward, her fingers touching the tip of Daehyun’s fingers.

“What are you doing here?”

“Why does it matter?” She rolls her eyes, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. A sudden growl has Youngjae jumping in surprise before his eyes goes wide at the sight of Daehyun’s flashing crimson red eyes.

Before he knows it, he is pulled towards Daehyun and the class disappears into a blurry image and all of a sudden, they’re standing at what looks like the university field with Youngjae pressed against Daehyun’s chest. Upon realisation, the boy tries to push the other off but then, he finds himself clinging onto the latter when his surrounding goes blurry again. This time, they are certainly far from the university and nowhere near Youngjae’s house judging from the unfamiliar street and shops. “What the fucʞ?” Youngjae curses out loud, pushing himself away from the other male and bending down with his hands on his knees. He feels so freaking dizzy and all he wants to do is lay down.

Slapping Daehyun’s hand away- when the latter is about to place his hand on Youngjae’s shoulder -Youngjae covers with his hand, his glare unwavering at Daehyun who not so surprisingly seems unaffected by it. fucʞing vampires Youngjae thinks. He takes a deep breath and finally asks, “What was that for?” while looking around, trying to see if there’s anything familiar that can help him tell where he is exactly at. The thought of not being able to go to Himchan’s house unless he asks Daehyun to bring him there makes him gnaws on his lower lips with irritation.

“Just, because.” Daehyun answers, looking at something else that is not Youngjae. For once, the former is able to tell what Daehyun is feeling from his face; perturbed. Deciding to not interfere, he takes his phone out and looks up on Google the name of the flower shop across the street. A loud gasp breaks out from him and he drops his hand, frustration so overwhelming. He’s in another ing state. “Let’s go.”

“Where?” Youngjae grunts, obviously not liking the situation.

“My place.”

 

∞

 

A clear eight foot-tall, made of twisted black rods and looking like it was forged a century ago-gate stands proudly in front of Youngjae. The latch is lifted with ease and it swings open almost without a sound. The place is surrounded by walls of red bricks and it gives of an eerie feeling. Subconsciously moving closer to Daehyun, Youngjae takes in the sight of Ivy and ferns grew through the crevices of the old winding stone path, which leads directly to the colossal structure. They don’t look messy nor scary but somehow, it just makes Youngjae shivers. Near the threshold, stands a delicate marble fountain, the soft gurgling of the clear water melodic as it resonates in the surrounding silence and a plain white door comes into view.

Before the door even opens fully, a deep voice booms behind it causing Youngjae to duck behind Daehyun who glances over with amusement. The latter takes two steps forward, Youngjae scurrying closer with a frown marred on his face. He hates this so much. “Where have you been?” The voice echoes through the house, like the magma chamber of a volcano; deep. The voice is powerful enough to even make Youngjae’s bones vibrates and he thought Daehyun’s voice from their first encounter was scary enough. “Returning after a week of leaving without telling us is a rather selfish behaviour, don’t you think? And it seems that you brought a friend along..”

“I apologize for not informing anyone, but I had reasons.”

“Does it involve the guest?”

“More or less.”

Youngjae has no freaking clue of what is going on here and he has no idea why Daehyun is putting the blame on him- well it sounds that way – but one thing for sure is that, he is never ever going to enter the house. Then again, he doesn’t have much of a choice since Daehyun can drag him in effortlessly while the boy tries to protest by clawing the latter’s fingers off which is to no avail. Inside the house, the silence is deafening to the point Youngjae questions if his ears are still working. The silence presses in on him and all he can hear is the beating of his own heart and scuffing noise of his feet. Looking up, he sees a chandelier hanging from the ceiling like the bejewelled corpse of a giant spider; best cut diamonds dripping from the branches. It probably worth more than his house. As they walk through the outstretched hallway, most of the Victorian stained glass windows are half covered by thick brown lined curtains; stretching their full length and caressing the floor.

At the end of the hallway appears to be a room and when the door opens, a blast of freezing cold air streams past him, almost causing him to fall off his feet. The end of Daehyun’s lips tugs upwards at the sight of Youngjae shivering like a frightened bunny, but it goes unnoticed by the former as he is busy avoiding the glares he’s receiving from the male with the deep voice. Expectantly, the room is dimly lit by rays of the late afternoon sun fall slanting through the high window; looming over a tall figure standing in front of the fireplace. The door behind them then shuts, so soft that Youngjae has to strain to even hear the click.

“You’ve been gone for a while.”

“I’d hardly call a week, ‘for a while’.” Daehyun responds, his face expressionless and his voice monotonous. Eyes flickering towards the tall man, Youngjae quietly shifts so that he stands behind Daehyun instead. “I had.. something to confirm.”

The flames curl and sway, flicking this way and that, crackling as they burn the dry wood. Looking around, only then does Youngjae notice how empty the room is, saves for the fireplace, a huge armchair by it and frames of black and white photography hanging on the walls. When he turns to the front, the man from before is standing right in front of Daehyun, a clear head higher and his narrowed, cold eyes locked on Youngjae’s face. The adrenaline floods his system like it's on an intravenous drip and Youngjae clenches his fist, his legs glued to the floor. He notices them tremble and out of nowhere a gust of cold air blows in his face immediately after the tall male opens . “A human?” He questions, his voice dropping a few octaves lower, laced with surprise and anger. “What is a human doing here?” He asks, authority coming off from him. He takes a step back, his eyes still on Youngjae before Daehyun suddenly shifts so he would be blocking the stare, concurrently giving Youngjae a sense of relief. With his head dropped down, Youngjae curls his fingers into the fabric of the male’s coat.

“You’re scaring him.” Daehyun states causing the taller male to snort. “Remember when you told us we would find our own human?” Daehyun starts off, lowering his head to avoid from catching the glare from the elder. “And that we should never find them in fear of getting our existence found out? Well, I accidentally found mine.”

Chuckling at how ridiculous it sounds like, the elder looks at Daehyun with his head tilted as he repeats, “Accidentally?”

“I was starving and found him alone in the street. Took a bite and.. had a hard time drinking blood from other humans afterwards.”

“And how do you know you’re not just deluded by his appearance?” The male asks, genuinely curious while Youngjae quirks an eyebrow up at the word ‘appearance’ because what the hell is that supposed to mean? Whipping his head back down when the male looks at him, Youngjae bites his lower lips to the point the skin almost breaks.

Daehyun grunts under his breath after straightening himself up and tries his best to not roll his eyes at how embarrassing the words that are about to come out of . “He gives off the scent of roses and he tastes really sweet..like honey.”

The thick silence that comes afterwards makes Youngjae shifts on his feet uncomfortably and his blush sears through his cheeks. For a minute, he thinks his face is on fire. He suddenly feels awkward and demure; even going as far as attempting to hide his rosy features behind his fingers. What the hell was that.. He thinks as the words, ‘scent of roses and taste of honey’ swirls in his brain. Now that he thinks about it, Daehyun gives off the smell of roses as well. Is it a normal thing for human to pick up the scent of a flower from a vampire? Then again, the guy with the deep voice didn’t give off a particular smell..

“He smells like an ordinary human.” A voice resounds from the back, so close to the point Youngjae spins on his feet out of surprise before taking a step back out of reflex. Daehyun grabs him by the arm to stop him from moving and Youngjae can only stare at the slender male standing in front of him. The kindest pair of coffee brown eyes trimmed by long gorgeous lashes lock with Youngjae’s own and the boy can’t help but to be mesmerised by the undeniable beauty this man has. Long and thick eyelashes that frame the eyes, glossy red and plump lips, symmetrical features and slim, long fingers. This guy could pretend as a girl and everyone would be fooled. “Hello there.” The male says, reaching his hand out for Youngjae’s face but before they can even lay a touch on the warm skin, Youngjae is abruptly pulled back and the hand is slapped away. “My,my.”

With an arm over his chest and another around his waist, Youngjae’s body goes rigid in the hold, his eyes as wide as the full moon and his tainted pink cheeks turning dark red. “You’re cold.” Youngjae mentions mindlessly, catching the rest off guard, especially Daehyun. The laugh that leaves the beautiful male comes timid at first, stopping and starting. He isn't done yet though- Youngjae can tell from the way he rolls his hazel eyes and half bite his lips. Youngjae fails to understand what’s funny about what he said. Realising that Daehyun isn’t going to let him go, Youngjae forcefully pulls the arms off, huffing on the inside and folds his arms, waiting for the other male to be done at laughing. The elder behind them on the other hand shakes his head, out of disappointment? Confusion? Irritation? Youngjae has no idea, but one thing for sure is that his expression doesn’t reflect any positivity.

“You know very well how I feel about this.”

“Jaemin, you’re being too stern.”

“And you’re taking this too lightly.” The elder male points out, glancing over at Daehyun and Youngjae coldly before turning his back. Youngjae watches as the beautiful man glides his hand over the elder’s shoulder before stopping right on the arm, his face awfully close to the other male. The sound of murmurs fill the room, grunts occasionally slipping in and a disapproving click of tongue followed by. “If this goes wrong, I shall not be held as responsible.” He mutters, loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. The beautiful man pulls away with a pleased smile adorning his face, walking towards Daehyun right after. The gentle expression from earlier immediately disappears in seconds, taking Youngjae by surprise. A heavy weight falls upon his shoulders and Youngjae can feels his legs shaking from the unbearable pressure.

The beautiful male now has Daehyun locked in a serious gaze as he says, “You know,” slender fingers pointing right at Daehyun’s chest. “You won’t have it easy. Words are going to spread around and at one point, it might difficult for even you-“ he says, grasping Daehyun’s arm. “to even handle. There’s only so much we can do for you. Be careful.” With that, the beautiful male strides out of the room, not forgetting to throw a blinding smile at Youngjae.

Be Careful.

 

 

 

“What did he mean by that?” Youngjae genuinely asks. The mansion behind them has long disappeared behind the hills and the sky is a gradient of soft yellow and blue, indicating that it’s already late in the afternoon. He looks at the time on his wrist watch and sighs. Youngjae wonders if Himchan is still busy. The male has yet answered his texts and it worries him a little. The male beside him suddenly picks up his pace, walking fully ahead of Youngjae and making the boy blink in surprise before he, as well, picks up the pace. “Slow down!” Youngjae yells, running after the latter out of worry of losing him. Without thinking twice, he reaches out for Daehyun’s arm; successfully sizing it in his hold and almost stumbles on his own two feet when Daehyun stops abruptly.

A soft thump resounds in his ear and pain shoots up his nose. Squatting down- with no intention of letting Daehyun’s arm go –Youngjae rubs his nose gently, wincing on the inside. Just what the hell is Daehyun’s body made off? Steel? He hears the latter sighs and a feeling of dissatisfaction grows in his chest. “Send me back home.” Youngjae demands, sighing before standing up. He tries to appear nonchalant when Daehyun looks at him expressionlessly. “I don’t even know my way back and you were the one who brought me here, so send me back home.” Fixing the bag strap, Youngjae let go of the arm and quirks an eyebrow up with expectation while Daehyun remains motionless. His eyes betray him as they blink before he looks away with a sigh.

Giving Youngjae his back, Daehyun mutters; “I should’ve killed you” under his breath. It’s loud enough for the both of them to hear it and upon so, Youngjae scoffs as a baffled look appears on his face.

“What the hell is your problem? You were the one who brought me and told them. Why the hell are you so upset now?”

“Just, shut up.” Daehyun says, covering Youngjae’s eyes and pulling the boy closer. He whispers in Youngjae’s ears and the boy falls limp, like a puppet suddenly released of their strings.

When Youngjae wakes up, the familiar sight of ceiling and walls greet him and he is on his feet, eyes widen out of confusion. He looks outside of the window and notices the sun has gone to rest, the moon taking its place. It’s pure darkness outside saves for the dimly lit street. Looking down at his own reflection on the glass door, Youngjae notices he’s still in his morning clothes. Deciding to ponder about what happened later, Youngjae sheds the clothes off and takes a refreshing shower before putting on a fresh set of pyjama. He can hear the sound of television from downstairs and has no plans of going down. After what happened yesterday, there is no way in hell is he ready to face the elder. Pretty sure his stepfather prefers not seeing his face as well.

The faint sound of his phone vibrating continuously has him scrambling to answer the incoming call. A sense of delight washes over at the sight of Himchan’s name displayed on the screen. “Himchan?”

[Hey. Sorry for not replying your texts. I was busy the whole day.]

“It’s fine.” Youngjae mutters, a small smile dancing on his lips. Scooting backwards till his back meets the wall, Youngjae nibbles on his thumb as he listens to his friend’s calm breathing. The silence between them isn’t awkward and judging from how tired Himchan sounds like, Youngjae rather not bombard the male with questions. “Are you coming to class tomorrow?”

[I’m not sure..]

Frowning, the boy asks why only to have a sigh in return. [I’ll call you again tomorrow. My mom is calling for me.]

“Oh. Okay.” With that, a click sounds and the call ends, leaving Youngjae unsatisfied with the lack of information. Just what has Himchan been on the whole day? First, Daehyun had gone all moody after they left the mansion and won’t tell him way and now, Himchan wouldn’t give him a proper answer. Throwing his phone on the pillow, Youngjae huffs as he gets off the bed, planning to get whatever work he has, done.

With his books sprawled open on the desk and his pens and highlighters messily left at the side, Youngjae stares at the long sentences, feeling his focus slips away in seconds. He can’t seem to focus and it feels like something is bothering him. He can’t point out what, but the feeling is creeping up on his back and he can only rolls his shoulders out of irritation. Even the smallest sound pulls his attention away from his work and occasionally, Youngjae would glance over his shoulders and outside the windows just because he feels like someone is staring at him. “Damn it,” The boy swears, dropping his pen and ruffling his hair exasperatedly. If this goes on, he might as well tune in for the night and resume his work tomorrow. There’s no need for rush anyway. It’s Friday tomorrow and he doesn’t have any class on Friday. Plus, the deadline for the work is next week Tuesday, so he has a few more days to go.

Clambering into bed, Youngjae lays there; snuggled up in his sheets as he waits for sleep to pick him up. He feels a blackness over him and his eyes feel heavier and heavier. In seconds, he finally closes his eyes as he welcomes the dreamless sleep.

 

 

 

The old house seems to have collapsed inwardly on itself. The roof sags and the windows have no glass in them. The grass around the house are long and unkempt and the paint on the walls has washed away, leaving plain dark red bricks in the cold. By using common sense, no one would dare to go close to the house, what more enter it yet, Youngjae feels himself drawn to it. An indescribable feeling grows within him and just as his hand is about to land on the knob, another hand appears out of nowhere; skin over bones, long and bulged at the knuckles. Turning to his left, all he sees is no more than a silhouette and a screeching sound has him clamping his hands over his ears before he bends down in pain.

Run.  

thank you for the lovely comments. I don't deserve them

AND SORRY FOR BEING SO LATE AT UPDATING I'VE BEEN SO BUSY